A gale-force wind threatened to drive a sponsors' marquee into the sea at Hove. If Sussex aren't careful they could be blown away too - by Somerset.

The county ended the third day of the Championship match on 178-3, a lead of 114, and it will need skipper Chris Adams, who is unbeaten on 68, and Michael Yardy to prolong their fourth wicket stand, which is currently worth 48, into the final day to insure their side against the possibility of defeat.

James Kirtley earlier collected the 21st five-wicket haul of his career by taking the last two Somerset wickets, but not before the Cidermen had secured maximum batting points and established a useful first innings lead of 64.

Sussex lost Richard Montgomerie before they had wiped out the arrears and then medium-pacer Keith Parsons removed first innings centurion Murray Goodwin and Tony Cottey.

But Adams and Yardy have looked untroubled in adding 48 so far on a pitch which remains good for batting.

Morning rain and then another cloudburst just before play was about to resume meant 57 overs had been lost when the action finally got underway at 3.15pm.

It was a day for two sweaters and heavy bails but there was a purpose about Sussex's cricket from the start.

They achieved their first objective within 30 minutes of the start when Kirtley took the last two Somerset wickets in successive overs.

It's no surprise that he has looked the pick of the county's attack in the first week of the season.

He spent most of the winter working on his re-modelled action while the likes of Jason Lewry and Robin Martin-Jenkins, who didn't bowl on the pre-season tour of Grenada because of injury, are only just starting to hit their straps.

Matt Bulbeck's lack of footwork betrayed him when Kirtley had him leg before in his third over of the day, the ninth wicket falling with Somerset still eight runs shy of maximum batting points.

Steffan Jones, stricken by a torn hamstring, hobbled out to bat with a runner but Richard Johnson, a dangerous striker down the order, took control of the situation, drilling Kirtley to the long off boundary to take his side past 400 before holing out to deep square leg off the next ball.

Sussex are determined to bat positively this season and although there weren't quite the fireworks of the first innings, when their openers had rattled along at more than five an over, Montgomerie and Goodwin still had 47 on the board in the tenth over when Montgomerie was defeated by Johnson's extra pace and bounce, the thick edge fairly thudding into wicketkeeper Rob Turner's gloves.

Goodwin had looked untroubled in moving onto 29 when he was totally deceived by Parsons' inswinging yorker.

But Adams, occasionally displaying the brutal power which characterised his splendid hundred at the Oval last week, made sure those setbacks didn't disrupt the attacking tempo.

A late cut and pulled six off Michael Burns from successive balls took him to his 50 off 53 balls in just over an hour and he had added 40 in eight overs with Cottey when the Welshman slapped Parsons straight to point.

Sussex were effectively 66-3, but the absence of Jones has restricted Somerset's bowling options and Adams and Yardy were able to negotiate the last 15 overs fairly comfortably.

Yardy gained in confidence after belting Ian Blackwell's slow left-arm to the cover boundary while Adams punished any indiscretion in line or length to continue his excellent start to the season.